Master of Science (M.S)

Movement Sciences & Health – Physical Education and Sports Performance Specialization

Learn how you can impact an individual's performance.

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Movement Sciences & Health, M.S. – Physical Education and Sports Performance Specialization Overview

Professionals seeking a master’s degree in physical education and coaching can benefit from UWF’s online master’s in physical education and sports performance. You’ll learn how to lead individuals in various physical activity settings, including education, sports, fitness, wellness and health. By graduation, you’ll know how to be a motivational force in the health and wellness of your athletes, students and clients.

The curriculum in our online physical education master’s degree focuses on how strategies, decisions, judgments and actions can impact an individual’s performance.

You’ll be guided through the curriculum by instructors who are dedicated to your individualized learning. Coursework in our online master’s in physical education program offers personalized assignments — you’ll use the challenges you face in your current position to complete work and benefit from professional feedback regarding your outcomes.

By graduation, you’ll know how to effectively plan a program and reflect on processes to make improvements. The program also instills competences to help you connect with and motivate clients as well as explain programs or exercises.

Candidates for This Program Include:

Students who are interested in coaching or teaching within school, community and recreational settings
Professionals who need a master’s to advance their career in this field
Anyone who wants to motivate individuals to increase their skills and performance

You Will Be Able To:

Maximize successful participation in physical activity through critical evaluation and the use of instructional behaviors for physical activity
Apply a variety of concepts when planning and implementing interventions to enhance physical activity
Examine, evaluate and apply research on skill development and learning in physical education, coaching and physical activity domains

Courses and Requirements

UWF’s online master’s in physical education and sports performance program requires a total of 36 credit hours, which include your choice of a thesis or a capstone project.

: HLP 6535 - Research Procedures
3.0 Credit Hours
Research Procedures
Research methodology, critical analyses and evaluation of current research, and design of a research proposal in the major field.
PET 5701 - Systematic Observation in Sport and Physical Activity
3.0 Credit Hours
Systematic Observation in Sport and Physical Activity
Students will learn to use a systematic approach to observe participants during teaching, coaching, and training. Emphasis will be on using published systematic observation instruments and the development of new instruments as objective tools for observation.
PET 5702 - Advanced Management of Physical Activity Programs
3.0 Credit Hours
Advanced Management of Physical Activity Programs
This course will prepare students to effectively use current theory and administrative techniques to design and implement appropriate physical activity programs. Emphasis is placed on developing and implementing program plans.
PET 5708 - Physical Activity Program Development
3.0 Credit Hours
Physical Activity Program Development
The aim of this course is to examine models and current research related to curriculum and program design in physical activity disciplines. This course will provide students with skills that will enable them to interpret, critique, evaluate, justify, and develop physical activity curricula and programs.
PET 5709 - Advanced Physical Activity Program Development
3.0 Credit Hours
Advanced Physical Activity Program Development
This course will assist students in developing knowledge and skills in the development of health supportive physical activity programs. This course will provide students with skills that will enable them to examine, evaluate, and create physical activity curricula and programs using health as a focus.
PET 5805 - Analysis and Supervision in Sport and Physical Activity
3.0 Credit Hours
Analysis and Supervision in Sport and Physical Activity
This course prepares students to analyze and supervise teaching, training, and quality in physical activity disciplines.
PET 6015 - Professional Issues in Physical Activity Disciplines
3.0 Credit Hours
Professional Issues in Physical Activity Disciplines
This course will assist students in understanding professional issues and concerns that are inherent parts of physical activity professions and to apply that understanding to professional participation and service contributions. Students will analyze and evaluate online professional information, critically analyze physical activity problems, critique and debate complex ethical problems within the field of physical activity, and articulate a sound philosophy for physical activity leadership.
PET 6706 - Analysis of Research in Physical Activity Disciplines
3.0 Credit Hours
Analysis of Research in Physical Activity Disciplines
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to various streams of research in physical activity domains and help them understand and critically analyze the quality of that research and its influence on professional activity.
PET 6707 - Advanced Research Procedures
3.0 Credit Hours
Advanced Research Procedures
This course is designed to develop the student's proficiency in conducting independent, original research. This includes protecting research participants, modifying research goals, communicating rationales for changes in a study, collecting data, analyzing statistical data, and advanced scholarly writing.
PET 6223 - Teaching and Motivation for Physical Activity Leaders
3.0 Credit Hours
Teaching and Motivation for Physical Activity Leaders
This course will lead students through the exploration of sport psychology research, particularly in areas that connect psychology and physical activity behavior. Students will connect theory to practice by integrating research and theory into logical coaching and teaching frameworks. Additional content will focus on how training actions impact performance and motivation.
Choose one of the following:
HLP 6971 - Thesis
6.0 Credit Hours
Thesis
Graded on a satisfactory / unsatisfactory basis only. Permission is required.
PET 6950 - Project in Lieu of Thesis
6.0 Credit Hours
Project in Lieu of Thesis
The project in lieu of thesis is a project or activity that makes a significant contribution to the field(s) associated with physical education and human performance fields. Project ideas will be conceptualized and organized by the student and the course instructor. There is no set format and guidelines for each individual project will be determined by the nature of the topic and the guidance of the instructor. Students will be guided toward project completion over two semesters.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to UWF’s online physical education and sports performance program, you must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution.

How to Apply

To apply for admission to this program, you first need to submit an application for graduate admission (plus a $30 application fee) and be admitted to the University of West Florida. Review application deadlines. In addition, you must submit:

Submit official transcripts confirming a bachelor’s degree from an institution whose accrediting agency is included on the list of UWF approved accrediting agencies
Undergraduate Institutional GPA as well as GPA in your senior year/major
Letter of intent describing reasons for applying to this program and associated career goals
Three professional references
Résumé

Have questions about this program or the admissions process? Contact our graduate admissions team at gradadmissions@uwf.edu.

Costs & Financial Aid

Component	Cost	Total*
In-State Tuition	$384.60 per credit hour	$13,845.60
In-State Tuition with Maximum Transfer Credits (Up to 6)	$384.60 per credit hour	$11,538.00
Full Out-of-State Tuition	$1,044.24 per credit hour	$37,592.64
90% Out-of-State Tuition Waiver	$478.83 per credit hour	$17,237.88

Tuition waivers cover up to 90% of the non-resident portion of your tuition. They are available to non-Florida residents (including international students) admitted to online programs and registered for online courses in active pursuit of that degree or certificate. You must pay all other assessed tuition and fees. Review Tuition Waiver Information to learn more.

Time to completion varies by student, depending on individual progress. Fees are charged per semester unless otherwise noted. This program takes up to 24 months to complete, depending on course availability.

Refer to UWF Cost of Attendance Estimates and Financial Literacy for more information on UWF costs and financial aid.

* Tuition and fees are subject to change.

Alabama Differential Out-of-State Tuition

Residents of Alabama are eligible for Alabama Differential Tuition, a reduced out-of-state tuition rate. For more information and to verify residency status for tuition purposes, new undergraduate students should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and new graduate students should contact the Graduate School. Students who are currently enrolled should contact the Office of the Registrar.

Active Duty Military

All active-duty members of the U.S. military who are residing or stationed outside the state of Florida shall have all (100%) out-of-state fees waived by the University. Contact the Military & Veterans Resource Center to apply for the Active Duty Military Out-of-State Waiver.

UWF Short-Term Financial Assistance

The University of West Florida provides eligible students with an alternative to paying the full amount of tuition at the beginning of each term in the form of an installment payment plan or a short-term loan.

Military Students

UWF is a Military FriendlyⓇ School proudly serving active-duty U.S. military members and veterans. As UWF has been a participant in the Yellow Ribbon Program since 2011, you could be eligible to receive free tuition with your military benefits.

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Financial Aid

Funding your college education should not empty your wallet. We offer various financial aid options for our online students, including loans, scholarships and grants for degree-seeking students.

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Frequently Asked Questions

: You may either contact your enrollment counselor or log into your MyUWF account to view the status of your application.
: No, you may be enrolled part-time and be eligible for financial aid. Different awards have different enrollment criteria. For example, federal direct loans require at least half-time enrollment. All students are awarded assuming full-time enrollment. If you change enrollment plans, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships must be notified immediately, and we will revise your award if necessary.
: UWF will only accept credits from institutions whose accrediting agency is included on the list of UWF approved accrediting agencies, and the amount of transfer credits allowed depends on the program. For detailed information, visit our Transfer Students page.
: Refer to UWF Cost of Attendance Estimates for more information.